City earmarks $3.7M to upgrade Port S.A. streets

Updated 7:36 pm, Thursday, September 12, 2013

The 2013-14 city budget approved Thursday by City Council includes $3.7 million for street improvements at Port San Antonio, the city announced.

The money will be used to upgrade portions of Billy Mitchell Boulevard, Dunton Street, General McMullen Drive, General Hudnell Drive, Thompson Place and Frank Luke Road. The streets were part of the former Kelly AFB. The port has maintained them since the base's closure in 2001.

The city and port are working on an agreement that will spell out whether the city or the port will contract and oversee the work, city budget director Maria Villagomez said. The plan is for the city to accept transfer of the streets from Port San Antonio once they meet city standards. The city also would conduct future maintenance.

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City Council member Rey Saldaña said the street improvements will help the industrial park compete better for future business investments.

“The time to compete for aerospace jobs is now. These funds solidify that we are committed to a future that includes high-quality, good-paying jobs,” Saldaña said.

“Councilman Saldaña and the city are great partners as we work to create new opportunities for growing important industries at the port,” said Bruce Miller, the port's president and CEO. “The upcoming support for road improvements enhances port infrastructure to better serve our customers in aerospace and other sectors now and into the future.”

Port spokesman Paco Felici said the city bond funding has helped pay for other port capital improvement projects in the past. The new budget allocation comes from savings left over from a previous city bond program, he said.

Traffic is growing at the 1,900-acre industrial park. About 13,000 workers commute to the port every day to work for more than 80 employers in the private and government sectors.